Category Archives: iPhone, iPad and Apple TV Guides

iPad 2 – So what’s new?

Posted on by
2

We did not get everything we wanted with the iPad 2, such as a smudge resistant retina  display, but Apple did manage to pack a lot of new goodies and reduce the size of the device in the process. And Apple finally managed to get the ‘white’ colour working, so from day one you can buy it in black and white. Although we find the white takes a little getting used to in terms of  looks. We have taken a quick look below at some of the newness that made us happy about the iPad 2!

Speed

Of course it’s faster – it’s a given right?  As of yet no one seems to know what kind of RAM the iPad 2 has, but it does have a dual 1GHz processor. Apple have said the iPad 2 can process graphics 9 x faster, this and given its smaller size and weight should make it better as a gaming device.

Cameras

Yes indeed… two cameras. As expected the iPad 2 comes with 2 cameras. It will sport a front facing VGA camera which will be used primary for Apples’ video chat program - facetime – which will allow facetime calls iPad to iPhone 4 and to Mac! It will also have a rear camera (720p) for shooting HD video.

Gyroscope

The iPad now has a Gyroscope which will work in the same way as the iPhone. The Gyroscope can be used enhance gaming, interesting but nothing to get over excited about!

Thickness

Being able to reduce the size of the iPad from 13.4mm to 8.8mm is what makes Apple such an amazing company, the new iPad is amazingly thin for the extra functionality you get.

Covers

iPad Cover

iPad Cover

We were following a large number of Twitter users who were at the Apple  iPad event, when Steven Jobs starting talking about these amazing iPad covers, we were in disbelieve that covers were such a big part of their presentation. That aside, these covers do have some interesting functionality, so before you dismiss them like we almost did, head over to Apple.com and watch the video Apple have posted for these covers! Will they work with iPad 1?

We know there are a few more features in the iPad 2, but those are the ones that licked our whistle. iPad 2 will come with iOS 4.3 which has support for  AirPlay, home sharing and hotspot for iPhone 4. Will you be buying it?

If you already have  an iPad have don’t have any need for the cameras and faster processing power, you may feel like giving this iPad refresh a miss! If you were holding off on a tablet device, this is the perfect time to crack open your piggy bank and buy the iPad 2! Don’t forget the iPad 1!  Apple have slashed the price and it is now much more affordable, if not less desirable due to the  Pad 2!

It’s also worth noting one small thing. There are whispers, out there, that we could have an iPad 3 before the end of 2011, something to think about!

iPad 2 Poll

iOS 4.2 for iPad & iPhone; Airplay and a Multi-tasking iPad!

Posted on by
1
iOS 4.2

iOS 4.2

iOS 4.2 for iPad & iPhone  is now available . This update consolidates the version numbers for iOS devices, so the iPad and the iPhone now share the same version number! Which should make this a little easier to distinguish which version is the latest. iOS 4.2 for the iPad brings a lot of changes, the biggest of which is multitasking which came to the iPhone not too long ago.

Multitasking comes to the iPad

Multi Tasking

Multi Tasking

About time! Like the iPhone we had to wait for the ability to multi task with the iPad.

iOS 4.2 brings multitasking from iPhone and iPod touch to iPad. So you can be more productive as you work, have more fun as you play, or do a little of both. Everything happens smoothly and efficiently — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily

Airplay comes to iOS devices – Play content on your TV!

Air Play

Air Play

Airplay will allow you to switch the display and or audio  to another device such as Apple TV! What this means is you can stream content from your iPad or iPhone! Say you are watching a youtube video, you can switch the display to your Apple TV. “Wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from iPhone to the new Apple TV, and stream music to AirPlay speakers or receivers, including AirPort Express.” You will know if Airplay is enabled on an app by the icon that appears on screen, tapping this icon will show you available devices you can stream with.

AirPrint – You can print Yippee!

Print away! Airprint is now enabled if you have an Airprint enabled printer. Also works with photos app.

What else is new?

  • Enhanced enterprise support.
  • Businesses can take advantage of stronger security features, new device management capabilities, and improved enterprise integration.
  • More iPhone tones.
  • Customize your notes using different fonts — Marker Felt, Helvetica, and Chalkboard.
  • Game Center for iPad.
  • Folders for iPad!
  • Enhanced parental controls: It is now possible to prevent the delation of apps from your iPhone if you have have enabled parental. controls and that feature, there is also new restricitions available in relation to game center.
  • New wallpapers.

Who is this update for?

This update is for the iPad and iPhone 4, iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 3G (limited features). iPhone 2G and iPod touch first generation will not get this update.

Press release

CUPERTINO, California—November 22, 2010—Apple® today announced that iOS 4.2, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, is available today for download for iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch®. iOS 4.2 brings over 100 new features from iOS 4.0, 4.1 and 4.2 to iPad including Multitasking, Folders, Unified Inbox, Game Center, AirPlay® and AirPrint.

“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Once again, the iPad with iOS 4.2 will define the target that other tablets will aspire to, but very few, if any, will ever be able to hit.”

iPad users can now run their favorite apps and switch between them instantly, while preserving iPad’s legendary battery life. Users can organize their apps with drag-and-drop simplicity using Folders, and Mail now features a Unified Inbox, fast inbox switching and a threaded message view.

Game Center allows iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users to challenge and play friends or be matched automatically with new opponents, showcase their scores and achievements, and discover new games their friends are playing.

AirPlay is a new feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to Apple TV®, transforming Apple TV into a great accessory for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iOS users also will be able to use AirPort Express® and AirPlay to stream wirelessly to any stereo or powered speakers, or directly to AirPlay-enabled speakers coming to market in the months ahead.

AirPrint is a next-generation Wi-Fi print architecture that dramatically simplifies printing by completely eliminating printer drivers. A selection of AirPrint enabled printers including the HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro and HP Officejet will be the first to support printing direct from iOS devices. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to any printer that supports AirPrint.

The Find My iPhone (or iPad or iPod touch) feature is now free to use without a MobileMe℠ subscription and helps you locate your missing device.* The Find My iPhone app is a free download on the App Store℠ and lets users easily locate a missing device on a map and have it display a message or play a sound. Users can even remotely lock or wipe data from a lost device to protect privacy.

Other new features that iOS 4.2 brings to the iPad include: the ability to rent TV episodes directly to iPad using the iTunes® App with a 30 day viewing window and a 48 hour session window once playback is started; the ability to easily find and highlight specific words and phrases on web pages in Safari®; enhanced enterprise support so businesses can take advantage of stronger security features, new device management capabilities and improved enterprise integration; industry-leading accessibility enhancements; and support for 25 additional languages, including Korean, Portuguese and Traditional Chinese.

The revolutionary iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before. You can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, using the innovative Multi-Touch™ user interface. iPad weighs just 1.5 pounds, making it easy to carry and use anywhere.

Today, customers have downloaded more than seven billion apps from the groundbreaking App Store and more than 300,000 apps are available to consumers in 90 countries, with more than 40,000 native iPad apps. Over 125 million iOS users around the world can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Availability
The iOS 4.2 update is available today to download to iPad, iPhone and iPod touch by syncing the device with iTunes 10.1. iOS 4.2 is compatible with iPad, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, second and third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) and new iPod touch. Some features may not be available on all products. For example, Multitasking requires iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, third generation iPod touch (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB) or later.

*The free Find My iPhone feature is available for iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod touch (4th generation).

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Apple TV – Hands on review

Posted on by
1
APPLE TV

APPLE TV

The all new Apple TV is an attempt by Apple to change the way we watch content on our televisions. Instead of directly downloading content  to a media drive connecting to a TV and watching – you now just stream content that is already on your PC directly, not storing anything on the Apple TV.

A good idea? Maybe? But as usual Apple have been restricted in allowing what we can stream, it’s not all bad  there is a redeeming factor with Apple TV which nearly makes it worth while and it’s called Airplay, and we have a little more on that later.

So what did we think of Apple TV. We like it,  the consensus  on Apple TV is that we wont be handing over our media drives just yet.  Steve Jobs has described Apple TV as his hobby. And while this may be nice for him, with Google TV on the way, Apple need to take ATV a little more serious.

If you were to ask, in a nutshell what is Apple TV,  we would say Apple TV is primarily a streaming device, with the possibility to become so much more, encompassing:

  • Apple TV is a place to rent movies and TV shows (TV shows in US only) in HD and SD format. Programs are displayed on your television in a simple elegant graphical layout, with descriptions , reviews, and previews available.
  • Apple TV allows you to stream content to your television from your PC, however it is somewhat limited on file formats that are compatible with the device. You can stream iTunes music, films, TV shows (in the correct format), and photos.
  • Apple TV allows you to stream content from Netflix (US), youtube and flickr.

Click continue reading to read more… Continue reading →

iOS 4.1 – What’s new?

Posted on by
1
iOS 4.1

iOS 4.1

Expected to be released next week (possibly Wednesday – we heard – but not confirmed) iOS 4.1 offers a number of bug fixes; importantly fixes for bluetooth, proximity sensor and 3G performance . Steve Jobs says they have “nailed a lot of them” (bugs).

HDR

HDR

Next up is HDR photos. High dynamic range photos (HDR), is a new feature that can be enabled, or indeed disabled, that will take three photos in rapid succession. Continue reading →

iPhone 4 hands on review

Posted on by
Reply
iPhone 4 hands on

iPhone 4 hands on

The hardware

The first thing you will notice about the iPhone 4 when you take it out of the box is how it feels in your hand. It has a much ‘flatter’ sleeker design. It’s not hard to hold or anything just very different. You will immediately notice  Apple used premium materials  with this iPhone compared to 3Gs. The glass front and back looks and feels much more expensive and of a higher quality, especially when you hold it beside its sibling. Apple made a big deal during it’s presentation about the manufacturing process – holding the iPhone4 in your hand – you would tend to agree. Continue reading →

iPhone 4 Guide

Posted on by
Reply
iPhone 4

iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 weighs in at 4.8 ounces , about the same weight as the iPhone 3Gs, but it is much thinner at .37 inches, the 3Gs is .48 inches. The front and the back of the iPhone 4 is made up of aluminosilicate glass, which is meant to be up to 30 times stronger than plastic, according to Apple. If true this could be an end of the scratch magnet iPhone?

Battery

Apple managed to make the battery bigger on this device which should mean a longer life, all iPhone 3Gs owners will appreciate this. We are now looking at 7 hours of talk time over 3G, a standby time of up to 300 hours. Audio playback is at 40 hours, with video up to 10 hours. As per the 3Gs you can charge the iPhone 4 via USB to computer or via power adapter.

Camera

From the WWDC conference you can tell that the screen and camera were a big area of interest from the design team at Apple. And indeed it does appear like the camera on the iPhone 4 will be a huge improvement over it’s predecessor. Apple tell us that it is not about mega pixels, there are other things that make a great picture, having said this we now have a 5 mega pixel camera, as opposed to the 3.2 on the 3Gs camera. A nice addition is the LED flash, which can be used in poor light conditions. One of the most interesting elements of the iPhone 4 hardware has to be that it now has a front facing VGA camera – hello video calls!

  • Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
  • 5-megapixel still camera
  • VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
  • Tap to focus video or still images
  • LED flash
  • Photo and video geotagging

Display

Retina display

Retina display

Apple is very excited about changes they have made to the iPhone 4 display – 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi. There is a new technology called Retina display. What this means for us is that according to Apple the screen display quality will be dramatically improved over the iPhone 3Gs. Retina display means we should not be able to see actual individual pixels meaning a better display (this is disputed by some scientists).

  • Retina display
  • 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
  • 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
  • 800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
  • Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
  • Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Connectivity

The iPhone 4 supports the usual bluetooth, GPS connections, with the inclusiion of 802.11n wi-fi. One of the more interesting features of the iPhone 4 is that it has a metal band which runs around the device with breaks on different parts, this band doubles as the antennas. So we should in theory see much better connections and less dropped calls.

Specs

  • UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  • 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology

Accessories

iPhone Bumbers

iPhone Bumpers

Like the 3Gs the iPhone 4 does not come with a dock,you will need to buy it separately, however this time around Apple is making some iPhone covers (about 30USD). Although you can not really call them covers, Apple never liked people covering up their design, and apparently this new device is more resistant to scratches, so these covers just go around the iPhone 4, we assume… like a band. They come in white, black, blue, green, orange, or pink and will apparently add a little style to your iPhone!

Software – IOS 4 features

IOS  is the  new name for the iPhone OS, the name change is due to other devices using the iOS, such as the iPad, iOS 4 will bring

  • Facetime: Video calls for the iPhone have arrived! (iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi)
  • Camera: 5-mega pixel, LED flash, 5x digital zoom
  • Mail: More than 1 mailbox, you can follow threads now
  • Retina display: Basically, the screen is so good you cannot make out the pixels with human eyes (does not work with cats eyes)
  • Multitasking: At long last you can have more than one app running at a time
  • Folders: You can organise applications into folders, so you have a nice tidy screen space
  • HD video recording – Includes Tap to focus for video now, in addition to photos
  • iMove – Make your own movies
  • iBooks for iPhone
  • Local Notifications: Applications can generate their own notifications, without the need to send the request to a server.
  • Wallpapers - You can now have a wallpaper on the app screens as well as the lock screen.

iPhone 4 in Ireland

Expected to be available in Ireland at the end of July on the following networks:

3 Ireland, Vodafone Ireland, O2 Mobile Ireland. No word on pricing as of writing, so keep an eye out.

Will you get one? Vote in our poll!

iPhone 4 in Pictures